] We may not be accosted by highwaymen with our life in mortal danger - but we may find ourselves in a gig with an odious man who refuses to set us down.

Okay, Cheryl, you got me LOL with this one. Odious man in a gig! What a hoot. JA has the odious man character down well, doesn't she?

This is one of the best summations of author intention I've ever read. Well done, to say the least. I have to admit, though, that I'm still unclear as to why the codes have been dropped but, alas, when you put it this way, maybe they don't matter so much in this particular story. I have decided to give the story another read, when I get the time, approaching it from a different angle and see what I come up with. I guess it was worth being confused to get such an answer. Thanks. :-)